I have installed Fedora 5 on a spare CD to see what it looked like. This PC had no OS on it. I like it so I thought I'd install it on my main PC on which I run Win XP. I have 2 hard drives so I thought I would install it on "D".

I changed my CMOS to boot from CD but nothing happens. The CD drive is OK because it runs games. The Linux CD is Ok as it installs OK on my other PC. When I try to look at the contents of the disk in Windows the disk is blank. It is as if Windows is trying to stop me installing another OS on my spare HD.

Any ideas?

kjaada

25-06-2007, 05:50 PM

You will not see anything on a Linux disk with windows.It really should boot and install ok
windows can not be stopping that.There is something else amiss and maybe someone else will come up with the answer.

Faded_Mantis

25-06-2007, 06:08 PM

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Fedora Core 5 have only an install version of the OS and not a live CD?

I think you have to go to Fedora 7 to get a live CD of Fedora.

kjaada

25-06-2007, 09:26 PM

I gather that he is trying to install not run off the CD.

Myth

25-06-2007, 10:35 PM

I gather that he is trying to install not run off the CD.Its hard to know exactly what this person is trying to do based on their mixing up of terms (installing to CD, changing CMOS ...)
From my understanding, they have created an install disc, tried to boot from it, and the computer won't boot from CD. Yet the CD player will play games ok and the media is ok in that it will boot from another computer.

To the thread-starter... when you changed the boot devices, did it save the option? You can check this by going to BIOS and seeing what device is set as first boot device. It should be CD-ROM. Do you know if the CD player is set as slave or master. This information is usually splashed on screen during bootup

johnd

25-06-2007, 11:08 PM

You will not see anything on a Linux disk with windows.
This is a CD we are talking about, not a hard drive formated in (say) ext3 which is not visible to MS Windows. The file system for a CD is ISO9660 or some variant - this is universal and should be able to be read by Windows, Linux, whatever ....

johnd

25-06-2007, 11:13 PM

You can check this by going to BIOS and seeing what device is set as first boot device.
Maybe I am being pedantic but the mis-use of terms continues. The BIOS is a set of pre-determined routines that can only be changed by flashing. The CMOS is where things like the boot order is changed.

johnd

25-06-2007, 11:20 PM

As far as I know FC7 comes with a Live CDROM and an install DVD - are you trying to read a DVD in a CD reader?

autechre

26-06-2007, 10:15 AM

Maybe I am being pedantic but the mis-use of terms continues. The BIOS is a set of pre-determined routines that can only be changed by flashing. The CMOS is where things like the boot order is changed.

Continuing with the pedantic thread:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BIOS

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CMOS

BIOS is definitely where you change your boot settings.

johnd

26-06-2007, 10:37 AM

Continuing with the pedantic thread:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BIOS

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CMOS

BIOS is definitely where you change your boot settings.

Reading this does not change anything I said - the BIOS is firmware which cannot be changed by the user unless you flash it. The CMOS is where the user makes changes to settings.

kjaada

26-06-2007, 10:50 AM

I would have thought that from the origonal post it does not really matter about terms.He was able to install on another puter.(Note Fedora 5 not 7) so assume he knows what is what.

Myth

26-06-2007, 07:27 PM

Maybe I am being pedantic but the mis-use of terms continues. The BIOS is a set of pre-determined routines that can only be changed by flashing. The CMOS is where things like the boot order is changed.

Reading this does not change anything I said - the BIOS is firmware which cannot be changed by the user unless you flash it. The CMOS is where the user makes changes to settings.:lol: :groan:

Myth

26-06-2007, 08:21 PM

Maybe I am being pedantic but the mis-use of terms continues. The BIOS is a set of pre-determined routines that can only be changed by flashing. The CMOS is where things like the boot order is changed.Being a pedant then, you will know exactly what BIOS stands for. But just to refresh your memory, I believe (and don't quote me on this) it stands for Basic Input/Output System.

Could that mean it actually accepts user input? When you flash your BIOS, what do you do. I do believe (and again don't quote me on this) that what it does is allows the user to input (theres that word again, input) a different set of instructions via floppy/cd; so that the computer will support a faster cpu (for example) than what it was originally intended to support. And when one changes the boot option, one uses the keyboard at the lowest level to input (3 for 3... going strong) which option you would prefer.

Lesson over, hopefully you have learnt something (unlikely however as you seem to know everything)

johnd

26-06-2007, 08:40 PM

...hopefully you have learnt something (unlikely however as you seem to know everything)

No - I don't pretend to know everything but I have taught this stuff for a number of years. See http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000707.htm

John

Myth

26-06-2007, 09:09 PM

No - I don't pretend to know everything but I have taught this stuff for a number of years. See http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000707.htm

JohnThat link suggests that there are different views on the two terms. With that in mind, it is hard to be pedantic on a term that is so easily confused, because what may seem right to one pedant, could quite easily be seen as wrong by another pedant

Wheres Graham_L when you need him. I'd be interested in his or any other pedants views on this

dolby digital

27-06-2007, 04:17 PM

I find that not all cd-roms dvd-roms etc boot 100% from a bootable cd/dvd when using a burnt cd-r/dvd-r. If you have a cd-rw or dvd-rw try and burn again at a slower speed which might help (I suggest a rw as then if it still doesn't boot, you haven't added to the worlds waste).

kjaada

27-06-2007, 04:20 PM

Being a pedant then, you will know exactly what BIOS stands for. But just to refresh your memory, I believe (and don't quote me on this) it stands for Basic Input/Output System.

Could that mean it actually accepts user input? When you flash your BIOS, what do you do. I do believe (and again don't quote me on this) that what it does is allows the user to input (theres that word again, input) a different set of instructions via floppy/cd; so that the computer will support a faster cpu (for example) than what it was originally intended to support. And when one changes the boot option, one uses the keyboard at the lowest level to input (3 for 3... going strong) which option you would prefer.

Are you sure you're not trying to use a DVD in a CD-only drive? If I recall correctly, FC5 is either one DVD, or 5 CDs (including the rescue disk).

johnd

27-06-2007, 08:20 PM

Wheres Graham_L when you need him.
Will this do?
"Some people confuse the BIOS with the CMOS in a system. This confusion is aided by the fact that the setup program in the BIOS is used to set and store the configuration settings in the CMOS. They are in fact two totally separate components".

Will this do?
"Some people confuse the BIOS with the CMOS in a system. This confusion is aided by the fact that the setup program in the BIOS is used to set and store the configuration settings in the CMOS. They are in fact two totally separate components".

This book is the hardware "bible" for most IT courses.I know who Scott Mueller is :). Touche. I'm beaten. Tie me up now and feed me to the virgins :p

cybernerd

27-06-2007, 08:50 PM

Thanks for all the replies. The problem got sort of solved. I had two optical drives on the Windows machine and when I removed one the Linux install disk ran OK and I installed it on my second HD. Unfortunatley when I start the PC it wont let me run anything but Win so I got the hump and gave it away.

New problem. Linux runs great on my spare PC, but I can not configure my modem. I follow the insrtuctions but no response.

Myth

27-06-2007, 09:23 PM

Internal or external modem? Most internal modems won't run with linux, or you'll have major headaches trying to get it going.
You could try waiting for Speedy to drop a message in here (explaining how he did it) or get yourself a cheap external modem from Trademe

johnd

27-06-2007, 09:27 PM

Some questions - what is the modem's manufacturer's name and the model number? What instructions did you follow? I presume it is a PCI modem in which case it is almost for sure a "win-modem" meaning that it is designed for some of the hardware modem functions to be carried out by MS Windows. These days there are equivalent drivers for lots of winmodems. Sometimes the easiest solution is to use an external serial port "hard" modem which always work out of the box in my experience.

cybernerd

29-06-2007, 03:01 PM

The modem is an internal PCI V.92 Pragmatic. It cost around $22.00 and runs Ok on Windows. It will be a pity if I vant run it as Linux looks good and loads fast on my spare PC

johnd

29-06-2007, 08:51 PM

Have a look for your modem on http://www.linmodems.org/ to see if it is supported.